Not so everyday life of a MON member
by Hunsworth
Summary: A harpy joins the ranks of the British Mon to be a member of a new squad. The harpy in question, Flare, lived a normal and boring life. Until this point.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: New project, new possibilities! After a lot of thinking I decided to upload this one but the rate of uploads won 't be that frequent. At least until I finish the other.**

 **The only thing I would be glad for is to leave a review on this chapter. It would help greatly in whether I should keep going or leave it until the other one is finished.**

 **If you have any questions feel free to ask and I accept every sort of criticism.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 1: A new life

\- Flare wake up already! It's 3 p.m.!

\- Coming!

It seemed like it is going to be another usual day. Flare is a special harpy who works as a doctor for extra species. She's special because she doesn't forget anything - unlike the other of her kind who forgets almost everything after three steps. Also, she has four talons while other from her species have only three.

It's been two years since the Bill of Species happened. Until this, humans didn't know that the so called extra-species existed such as centaurs, lamias, mermaids, harpies and so on. Some of the extra species - the representatives - live with host families, so does Flare. She's been living with the Brown family in Swansea since the start of this. Her hosts, George and Zoe Brown had been very kind to her, they even allowed her to start her business at home. Today Flare had rush hours so she took a nap to relax a bit.

\- Good afternoon Mrs. Brown. Back from work?

\- Yes, I've just arrived. By the way, you have very important guests who wait in the living room for you.

\- Guests? That's unusual. Well, I'll take a look, then.

She thought that only a few people wanted to see her. That made her scared and her snow white feathers rose up from this thought.

Ah, Flare, nice to see you!

The thought was right. Two humans sat on the couch. A man and a woman. The woman was Andrea Colt, her inspector. She is a tall and athletic woman with brown hair and blue eyes. She is kind but strict with a bit of wickedness in her eyes. She was wearing the agency's suit, as well as the man on her right. He's John Davis, Andrea's guard and personal assistant. He looks thin and pale and almost never speaks but has an enormous power due to the special training he does. Now both looked at Flare as she got into the room.

\- Good afternoon Mrs. Colt, Mr. Davis! What brought you here?

\- Actually, we would like to talk to you about something. - Mrs. Colt began. - We have a one-time offer for you.

\- Oh, and what would it be?

\- Do you know something about the M.O.N.?

\- No, what's it?

\- It's a task force made up from extra-species to hold the law on their half while police does the human law enforcement. Until this time extra-species with uhm, how should I put it, low brain capacity such as slimes, fauns and harpies weren't allowed in this task force but thanks to a new law, in special cases they can be recruited as well.

\- And how do I come into the picture?

\- Well, I thought you would be a great member because of three things.

\- What would those be?

\- Your intelligence, speed and your medical knowledge.

\- O.K. maybe? What would be the benefits of joining?

\- Nest, food, armory, training and naturally payment. You would be the medic and scout of the team. A team consists of four extra-species and a human, in this case me. So, what do you say?

\- Can I have some time to think it over?

\- Naturally. We'll be back tomorrow at the same time. So be good and think it over really well. See you tomorrow!

As they went out Mr. Davis whispered in a creepy tone:

\- Think it over well Ms. Fenichs.

Nobody used her first name except him.

As night came she got even more frustrated, she couldn't eat a bite. Mr. and Mrs. Brown were afraid that something is wrong with her. So Mr. Brown asked:

\- Flare are you O.K.?

\- Yes, but I am scared of the offer that Mrs. Colt gave me in the afternoon. You are very kind people and I love being here with you but at the same time the idea of helping my own kind is very tempting.

\- We love the time being spent with you as well but this offer is a serious thing to think it over. We're sorry but in this question we can't help you.

The rest of the dinner went on quietly. Because of the pressure on her she was awake all night. As she thought about leaving she started to cry but she had already made the decision. She is going to join the M.O.N. It was 4 o'clock in the morning when she cried herself into sleep.

Her alarm clock buzzed annoyingly. She only got 4 hours of sleep. She felt dizzy and her eyes were red from crying. As she got up, she noticed that it was unusually quiet. Every morning there were lots of patients who made a huge noise waiting for their appointment which usually starts at 8 o'clock. She quickly got dressed and flew out of her room. Somebody knocked on the door. As she opened it, she noticed that two men with the suit of the agency stood at the gate. That was the cause why the patients didn't come. She noticed the black van that was parking in front of the house. On the van, there was an emblem with the name M.O.N. under it. The hind doors of the van opened and Mrs. Colt and Mr. Davis got out of it. As they got closer Flare started to shake but quickly got over it.

\- So, have you decided? - asked Mrs. Colt.

\- Yes. I'm going to join the organization.

\- Perfect! Now please pack your equipment. We'll wait for you in the living room.

As she packed her glasses filled with medicine and different types of venom, memories came into her mind. Memories about her host family, the patients and the fun they had in these two years. She was ready to go. As she pushed her luggage through the house - it is very difficult without hands - Mrs. Colt got there.

\- Let me help you.

\- Thanks.

Some of the guards helped to put the equipment and the luggage into the van. Then the guards, the inspector and the assistant got into the van and they started their journey to the British M.O.N. headquarters in London. Because of her wings, Flare couldn't get into the van, so she had only one choice: to fly all the way to London.

After a couple hundred kilometers they finally reached the headquarters. The people in the van were tired, but Flare wasn't. Harpies can fly over a thousand kilometers before they need to rest. The building was huge with the same emblem and writing. She couldn't see the logo on the van at home, but now she can clearly see it. It's the logo of the Earth with a hand on it. The fingers of the hand end in claws.

\- So, Flare, do you want to take a tour?

\- Why not?

\- In the meantime your luggage and equipment will be brought up to your new room. Is that OK for you?

\- Yes, it'd be great, thanks.

As they walked into the building Flare got excited. The hall was huge with statues of different extra-species on the sides. When they arrived at the reception a cat girl greeted them with a smile.

\- Oh, good morning Mrs. Colt! Have you brought another fleeing harpy?

\- No, that's not the case this time. Flare, she is Claire Catnip, our receptionist. Claire, her name is Flare Fenichs, the last member of my team.

\- Wait a second Mrs. Colt. You're saying that this harpy is the trump card you were so fond of? Mrs. Colt, I really respect you but we all know that harpies just don't have the qualities - and brain size - to be in the organization.

With this, Claire started to laugh so hard, that she even cried.

\- Don't laugh like a fool, Claire. It doesn't suit you. She is special.

\- And how? Does she lay eggs like a chicken? We would really like to have one here. - Said Claire with a foolish grin.

\- She can't lay eggs, she's sterile.

\- Wait, what?

\- Just shut up! You're annoying me quite a bit and if you say another word you will be fired! Understood!?

\- Yes, ma'am. I am really sorry about what I have said. - Claire's face turned paler by every second.

Meanwhile Flare did that she usually does when she is puzzled. Her eyes opened wide like a hawk looks at its prey. As Claire turned to her to apologize, she noticed this and fainted. Mrs. Colt turned to her and was surprised as well but didn't faint because she knew that this was normal to Flare.

\- And what should we do now with Claire?

\- Just splash a bucket of water on her face.

\- You're the medic here and you are saying that we should just splash some water on a nekonomi's face. Are you serious? Her kind hates water!

\- Yes, I know, that's why I suggest it. It works as a shock therapy. She gets a little adrenaline and jumps up as nothing happened.

\- Uhmm... OK?

Mrs. Colt brought a glass of water and sprinkled it onto Claire's face. Only a few seconds later, just as Flare predicted, Claire stood up and looked puzzled.

\- So it really did work.

\- What did work? And why is my face wet?

\- You fainted and we brought you back with an old harpy method.

\- Thanks. And sorry for my behavior.

\- Already forgotten.

\- Ok now that everything is fine, Flare, let us move on. Have a nice day, Claire!

\- Thanks, and for both of you as well!

As they went on, they passed a lot of doors which looked extremely secured. They arrived at a door which looked really thick, probably for security purposes.

\- We have arrived to the second place I wanted to show you. This is the laboratory and the weapon & armor research facility. In this place, we invent medicine, upgrade the armor of the teams and research more non-violent weapons to secure both humans and extra-species. Meet our chief researcher, Emmy Tails, probably the most intelligent kitsune you will ever meet.

\- Welcome at the M.O.N. You must be the special unit Mrs. Colt was talking about. Well, what kind of subspecies are you? A garuda maybe?

\- No, I am a normal harpy.

\- You know that a normal harpy is 160 cms tall in average?

\- Yes, I'm a little taller, and?

\- A little taller you say? You are even taller than me!

\- Why? What is your height?

\- What? You don't know your own height? OK then I will tell you. I am 172 cm tall, so you must be about 180 cm.

\- Thanks? Now please tell me why Mrs. Colt brought me here.

\- That must be because of the suit. Every M.O.N. member wears a special suit to protect themselves. Wait a minute, I will bring yours here.

With this, she ran off. As she came back, she brought a suit which looked like a knights armor. There were plates of carbon fiber on the shoulders, back and chest. The sleeves were short like on a T-shirt and ended in straps, probably because of the wings, the pants part was knee length, probably because of the avian legs.

\- Let me introduce you your suit. The plates are out of carbon fiber, strong enough to bear with hits but light enough not to be a source of flying or maneuver problems. In the middle, there is a plus sign for the medic and a wing for the scout. It is filled with a fluid which has three main reasons. If it is cold, it warms you up. If it is warm, it cools you.

\- And what is the third reason?

\- Well..., it's just for show off. But I have already talked too much, better get your way to the next thing that Mrs. Colt wants to show you.

\- Yes, thanks for the great explanation, Emmy, now let's go on, shall we, Flare? See you next time!

As the two of them walked across the corridor, Flare noticed that they were heading to an indoor training ground with grass, trees and so on.

\- As you can see, here in the center of London there isn't that much space we could build in, so the architects designed a two floor high indoor training ground so we could have a place to practice.

\- But why are there trees?

\- You'll see soon.

With this, Mrs. Colt went to a control panel. As she pushed some buttons, the trees disappeared and houses began to form on the field. Flare was amazed. She couldn't help herself as she fluttered in amazement.

Do you want to try it?- Mrs. Colt asked.

I'd love to.

Then let's get started.

As the houses faded, moving rods and balls emerged into the air. It was a test course for fliers.

I count from 3 to 1 and you go. The goal is to avoid touching the objects. Your time can't exceed 2 minutes. Understood?

Yes ma'am.

Ok, then 3…2…1… Go!

Flare started really fast. A huge amount of dust whirled at the start point. She maneuvered perfectly between the objects. Some time passed and when she landed Mrs. Colt stood there silently, her jaws dropped.

Wow! New track record! I can't believe it!

Why? What's my time?

1 minute 9 seconds. The best was flown two weeks ago by a wind nymph. She flew 1 minute 21 seconds.

That means…

That you're the fastest member of the M.O.N. air section. She'll be so angry when she hears it!

That will be a problem.

Not at all. She loves challenges and as she is one of the best agents she will respect your success.

I'm getting tired now. Mrs. Colt could we go to my room now?

Of course we can. It's getting late and tomorrow I will introduce you to the others. You must sleep well or you will be in a bad shape.

After some walking they reached a door on which a familiar sign was hanging.

Isn't that the sign of my suit?

Yes it is. And this is your room.

Mrs. Colt stepped to the door which opened almost instantly.

It's harpy-friendly because of the motion-sensors.

The interior of the room was simple but stunning. A huge bed, built in wardrobe, a touchscreen computer and the most fascinating thing, a window spreading all over the wall in front of the door. But something was odd.

What are these arrows on the floor?

I'll show you why.

Mrs. Colt went to the right side of the room and pushed a red button which Flare had just noticed. As she pushed the button, the window moved upwards a ramp started to rise at the end of the room.

You know this is a special room built for you. It's a take-off ramp as you can see.

Mrs. Colt pushed the button again and the room turned back to normal.

So that's it and you can modify your room however you want to but be careful. I'm heading to my office now. If you want anything ask me. The first joint training will be tomorrow at 10 o'clock. Be accurate to have a good first expression. Explore your new room, sleep well and goodbye until tomorrow.

With this, Mrs. Colt went out, leaving the speechless harpy alone.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Warm-up

The next morning was weird, to say the least. Alien ceiling, the sun didn't shine as it was used to. Dressing up was quite a challenge too as the suit was hard to get into, not because it was tight or anything but she wasn't experienced clothing that had a pants and arm section. So far she only wore skirts, dresses and tops. Except for the tribal clothing, of course.

As she finished dressing up, she went to the dining hall, which she saw only briefly the day before. It wasn't big, yet it could easily fit around a hundred people. It even had an area specifically designed for extra-species.

She grabbed a large metal plate and got to the window. The girl working there looked at her a bit confused and asked a question.

\- Sorry if I'm rude but are you new here? I haven't seen you before.

\- Um, yes, I'm new here. I was hired by Mrs. Colt to be in her team. My name is Flare. Nice to meet you.

\- Nice to meet you too. I'm Katie. What do you want for breakfast?

\- Well, do you have anything meat related?

\- We have bacon and eggs if you're into that sort of stuff.

\- Then I'll have that.

\- Understood. Your point card, please.

\- My what?

\- Here it is.

It was Mrs. Colt who gave Katie the card. The girl scanned it and then proceeded with the order.

\- I forgot to give this to you yesterday. Let's have a chat, shall we?

The food was ready and after Flare took it they sat down to one of the tables. The harpy began to eat but felt a bit awkward.

\- Mrs. Colt.

\- Yes?

\- Could you talk about this point card thing?

\- Oh, yeah, forgot about that one. We introduced a credit system, so we can easier distribute the services between members. After a mission you get credits which are transferred to this card. You can get about a hundred points each month, plus, because you are an extra-species, you get 25 as a bonus. Most of the vending machines as well as the kitchen service use it.

\- Thanks for the explanation. What is our schedule for today?

\- Only two things. First off, I'll introduce you to the rest of the team. Then we'll have a training to get us a bit closer to each other, at least combat-wise.

\- Understood.

Flare finished her breakfast then followed Mrs. Colt to the training area she had already been to.

There were three extra-species girls in the arena and as Colt asked for their attention, they got closer.

\- Let me introduce you to each other. Meet Flare Fenichs, the last member of our team. She will be our scout and medic.

\- A harpy? Are you sure about that Andrea?

\- Don't worry Alicia, she is pretty capable.

\- Then let me ask you something, Flare. What was the last thing you talked about?

\- Today's schedule. Why?

\- So you're no ordinary harpy then. In that case, welcome in the team. I'm Alicia Aranea, an arachne, as you can already tell.

\- Then I'll introduce the others. The heavyweight centauress on the right is Ceris Centa and the yuki onna next to her is Selena Flake. Alicia is the shadow agent, Ceris is the brawler and Selena is the saboteur.

Everything seemed logical. Alicia spied on the enemy, Ceris did the close combat part and Selena made them freeze or slip, literally. Of course there was Flare to scout out the targets first and to apply medical aid if possible.

The training seemed pretty easy. they had to simulate a hostage situation, which happened a couple days earlier in Japan. They had to rescue the hostages while eliminating the orcs in the building.

It was a small shop with large windows, making everything easily visible to Flare There were ten hostages and five targets. The inner side of the storage was open and Alicia went for it. She opened the lock in no time with her slender, chitin covered fingers then proceeded to the shop itself.

While she was freeing the hostages and escorting them to the storage area Selena laid down a mist curtain, making visibility almost zero.

Lastly came Ceris, who knocked the orcs clean out. She could see in the mist thanks to Selena's filtering ability.

The simulated mission was absolute success. No hostages or M.O.N. members were harmed and they finished in less than 15 minutes.

\- Good job everyone! You have the rest of the day off but don't forget to wake up early tomorrow!

\- Why? – Ceris asked.

\- We are going to have a training session with the London Police's 1st division.

\- That sounds interesting!

\- Everyone is dismissed!

The group went to the lockers and got changed.

They were discussing what to do next and decided to go for a walk. Flare wore a white dress, Ceris a light armor with a short sword, Selena had a white tracksuit on and Alicia wore a black T-shirt.

The group caused a smaller commotion as there were two large extra-species in it. What caused a bigger commotion was the loud howling and crying coming from Trafalgar square. When the girls got closer they saw a child with pale skin, white clothes and black hair. She was the source of the noise and it was unbearable for those standing close to the girl.

\- What is this? – Selena asked.

\- A young banshee as it seems. – Flare replied.

\- Young? How do you know that?

\- If she would be an adult everyone in the area would already be deaf.

\- How could we calm her down?

\- I've got an idea. Wait here.

Flare took off and landed near to the girl. She got a pair of earplugs out of her bag, put them in and kneeled down in front of the banshee. Her mouth moved but because of the crying, nothing could be heard. The girl looked up and started to calm down. As the cries decreased to a louder weeping, the harpy's voice became louder and louder. She was singing.

\- …ofni, dim ond deilen

Gura, gura ar y ddôr;

Paid ag ofni, ton fach unig

Sua, sua ar lan y môr…

By the time she stopped, the girl did stop crying too.

\- Why were you crying?

\- I can't find my mommy.

\- I'm sure she will be here any time.

As if it was magic, a woman with pale skin, black hair and wearing a green dress ran to the child.

\- Gael! I was so worried? What were you doing here?

\- I started chasing the birdies and I didn't see you and I cried and this lady birdie came and started singing something nice to me. I don't know what it was but it was so nice mommy!

\- Thank you for calming down my daughter. What did you sing to her?

\- Excuse me for a moment. – Flare got the earplugs out. – Would you mind saying it again?

\- No problem at all, I completely understand. What did you sing to my daughter?

\- Suo Gân, a Welsh lullaby I learned from one of my patients back in Swansea. She used to sing this to her daughter while I examined her.

\- Was she of Welsh origin?

\- She was a Welsh born draugen, so you could say that.

\- And you're a doctor?

\- Well… I don't have a degree but I have studied medicine for a long time. When I was with my flock, I learned from our shamaness. I had a small office back in Wales.

\- That's quite the job for a harpy. I hope we meet again sometime. Have a nice evening!

\- Bye-bye lady birdie!

\- Bye!

Flare got back to the others. They looked at the harpy in awe. The first one to speak was Ceris.

\- What did I just see?

\- Nothing major, just me practicing social skills.

It was Alicia's turn now.

\- I think she wants to know how you made that banshee shut up. They say that it's extremely difficult, especially at her age.

\- You don't know what kind words and a smile can do.

Alicia went silent. They decided to end the day with this and returned to the M.O.N headquarters.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This is the second day in the life of our little harpy as a M.O.N. member.**

 **Hope you enjoy it!**

Chapter 3: Drill

It was early in the morning when the alarm went off. The harpy's hair was all over the place, yet it enveloped a face full with interest. This time, getting ready was a bit easier than last time, since she knew what to do. She met the rest of the group, along with another bunch in the cafeteria. They had some light breakfast and proceeded to the back section of the building, where the trucks were already waiting for them.

The ride was just about half an hour so Flare decided to fly instead of getting inside the cramped van. As she flew over the convoy, she was the first of the bunch to spot the training grounds. It was a huge area with many buildings and obstacles, ponds and hills. She landed on top of the truck Ceris and Alicia were situated in before jumping down.

The huge metal gates opened and as the vehicles rolled in the area, she jogged alongside them, even waving to Selena in one of the cars.

Around twenty officers were already at the site when the girls got into the line. It looked like Mrs. Colt and the drill officer knew each other as they were joking around while greeting one another.

The warm-up was quite easy. Running, gymnastics, squats, push-ups – Ceris and Alicia were excused from the last two – and then the real work started.

The girls failed miserably compared to their human counterparts in hand-to-hand combat. They could hardly breathe after the two hour session. As a punishment, they had to make a circle in the 3 mile cross-terrain track of the grounds.

Ceris and Alicia started running while Flare and Selena stood there. The harpy turned to the officer.

\- Drill officer, Sir.

\- What is it?

\- You didn't tell the method of travel, did you?

\- No, wh…

This was enough information for the two.

Flare took off and sped up above the track while Selena created a pathway from ice, on which she slid like a skater. The harpy already passed the arachne and was closing in to the centauress.

Ten minutes later Flare landed before the finish line and walked through it. Selena followed two minutes later. Ceris came in third with twenty more minutes on the clock and Alicia finished with almost half an hour later.

\- Who told you that you could do that?!

\- No one. That's why we did it. You didn't tell us, nor did Mrs. Colt. If it weren't for that factor I would still be running, Selena would've most probably collapsed.

\- Your finesse is respectable. Still, for him it's a base thing that you run, so keep to it. Understood?

\- Yes, Mrs. Colt. – The two girls said in union.

The next and last thing was the emergency protocol in the Extra-species Bill, which meant human force against extra-species force. The police officers were shown the weak points of the species currently in front of them as well as their sub-species, which they were told by Mrs. Colt, while being shown on the girls.

It was time to leave and the girls got ready to enter the vehicles but a shriek echoed from the woods. Alicia and Flare went to investigate, while Ceris got her sword out of the truck. Selena decided to stay.

The harpy, albeit locating the source of the noise, saw nothing.

\- Alicia, do you see anything?

\- There was some rustling just as I got here, come down and help me!

As Flare was landing, the centauress arrived. She had a long sword ready.

\- You two ready? – The arachne asked.

\- Sure.

\- Yes.

\- Then let's go!

The sight on the other side of the shrubbery was rather interesting. A half-naked woman was floating in a puddle of pink slime. The remnants of her clothes were just enough to cover her breasts and private area The slime was looking at the girls with its orange eyes. A feeler got out of the puddle and swiftly clamped itself onto the harpy's forehead. Flare heard a squeaky, almost childish voice.

\- You… friend of police?

\- Who are you?

\- Sephi… Guard…You friend?

\- Yes, Sephi. Who is this woman?

\- Woman… trespasser… photo for paper she wants…

\- Reporter?

\- Yes… You take her… to police friends…

\- I will.

The connection broke with this. It left the harpy confused and the other two completely stunned. The slime released the woman and disappeared in the bushes.

\- What in the goddess' name did just happen? – Alicia asked

\- This is supposed to be the guardian slime of the training grounds. This woman is a reporter for a newspaper. We have to bring her to the chief.

\- So you communicated with it?

\- Yeah, why?

\- Nothing, I've just never seen something like this.

\- Would you two move yourselves? This has to be reported to the drill officer as soon as possible. – It was the centauress who broke the chatter.

As Ceris didn't allow throwing the unconscious reporter on her back, she was tied up to Alicia's lower torso, which looked pretty weird. They proceeded with getting back to the main group.

After arriving, they asked for a blanket and laid the woman on the ground. The others were shocked, to say the least.

\- What should this mean? – the officer asked.

\- She's a trespasser from one of the major newspapers, Sephi got her.

The chief thought for a while, looking from Flare to the reporter and back.

\- So the slime made contact with you. You know how to get back to the M.O.N. headquarters, don't you?

\- Yes, sir.

\- Then you come with us to the police department and help interrogating her. Is that fine with you, Andrea?

\- No problem but let her get back by dusk. Harpies can't see too well when it's dark, you know.

\- Will do. Now let's go.

Everyone moved out and Flare flew above the police convoy this time, which consisted of several coaches. They headed back to the police department located on Victoria Embankment, not far from M.O.N. HQ. There, the drill officer left the harpy and the now awake woman to one of the officers working with cases like this.

They were led into a white room with a table, three chairs, and a trashcan. There was also a bucket on the table. It started shaking and something pinkish started pouring out of it.

\- Not this again! Get me out of here! – the woman yelled.

\- Miss, calm down, she is a witness of your actions.

\- So it is a she. Nice! – flare said with a small smile.

\- Both of you sit down, please.

The harpy did so but the reporter was still hesitant.

\- I'm not going to sit next to that thing! There's no way in hell!

\- Calm down. – He turned to Flare. – Is it alright if Sephi rests on your chair?

\- No problem at all.

The slime slithered towards the harpy and stuck to her backrest. Her 'head' was beside Flare's. The woman, although reluctant, sat down.

The officer began the interrogation, first showing the reporter the contents of her own bag, revealing notes and a camera besides the usual stuff. He then continued with the reports of Sephi and Flare. The slime was slow but had great memory.

\- So if I connect the pieces correctly, you entered a forbidden area and tried to make notes and take photographs of the ongoing training. Thanks to our slime's vigilance, you failed in your task. Law states that you should have an at least 14 day jail time for trespassing in police territory but due to the fact that you were subdued by extra-species, a special scenario must take place. You are allowed to publish the article but are forbidden to write about the capture. This is only because of the Bill, nothing more, nothing less. Do you comply, Miss?

\- Yes, Officer. I perfectly understand the terms and consequences. I will not publish the capture part and will not mention the slime in my article. May I go now?

\- Yes, you may. This goes for you too, Ms. – He turned to Flare with a plain look. – Sephi, you stay.

It was a bit chilly outside as the harpy flew back to the M.O.N. headquarters. The others were waiting for her to listen to what happened.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for the lack of uploads, I was working on something bigger. Since it is over, I can finally focus on my fanfics. I've got three shorter works in plan which I am currently writing along with this one.**

 **Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 4: Troll-ish problems

The next two days were rather uneventful. They just patrolled the Westminster area all day long. The third day started just like that but it seemed as if it won't be another boring day.

The four girls were walking down on of the shopping alleys. Screams echoed behind them and as Flare, who was in the centre of the alleyway, turned around and saw something big and green running towards her. The next thing she knew was that she was sent flying into a bunch of mannequins. The others rushed to the harpy immediately.

"Flare you alright?" Selena asked.

"Yeah but what on Echidna was that?"

"It looks like it was a troll, a very angry one."

"What are you staring at? Help me up and catch that hooligan!"

The chase began. Thanks to its size, the fugitive had a head start of around half a mile. This was nothing to Ceris and Flare, who were the fastest ones, one on the ground, one in the air. Flare latched onto Selena and flew her to just a couple hundred yards in front of the troll. As Ceris closed in on the escapee, it started tunnel visioning and didn't see the snow woman on the side of the road casting ice. The troll flipped over and as Alicia arrived they encircled it. It was a female troll, roughly three metres tall, wearing blue gym clothes. The next thing was the fact that she wasn't angry but looked… upset.

"Might we ask what got into you, miss?" Ceris questioned the girl.

"None of your business." The troll was fuming.

"If you send me flying into a clothes shop then it's our problem. So just calm down and let's have a chat, shall we?" The harpy was offering a wing, which the troll took.

A couple of minutes went by and only Flare spoke out of the two. Then the other girl broke down. She told them that there was a bunch of lesser devils in Hyde Park pulling pranks on others. She tried to go against them but they berated her and got her running. That's how she ended up in this situation. The team talked the situation over and decided to investigate.

Because of the species' abilities, they asked for help of Task Force B, also known as the Peacekeepers. They consisted of an elder devil, a bullfighter minotaur, a blackbeard and a western dragon. This was the ace team of the MON London HQ, extra-species who have served the organization since the beginning.

They met at the southern entrance. Flare and the rest of her team members were startled from the minotaur. This female bullfighter stood at least 8 feet tall and seemed quite strong, much stronger than the regular minotaur. The negative aura was dissolved quite fast as she introduced the team with an awkward smile.

"H-hello everyone. My name is Hecatessia but just call me Heca. The devil is called Aku, our dragon is called Georgina and the blackbeard is Syrene."

"Well that was anticlimactic. Nice to meet you all. I'm Flare and they're Ceris, Alicia and Selena. We are Task Force D. I hope you already know why we asked to help you."

"Of course. The MON has had enough of those kids pranking around. Now that there is evidence for that, all of them will get what they deserve, finally."

They went through the entrance and began searching for the criminals. The humans just watched in awe as the two teams marched into the park.

Syrene made a psychic barrier sphere so that they can't be influenced by the lesser devils' hypnosis. The suspects could be heard from a mile. They were laughing their asses off at a playground. There were three lesser devils. As the teams arrived, they stopped laughing but not grinning.

"Look who came for us. The dogs of the law."

Aku stepped forth.

"You've violated the law. We have several witnesses and video evidence. Give yourselves up."

"I'm more interested in what's going on inside that airhead harpy's mind than your talk, granny."

"Are you sure about that?" Flare asked the devil who looked like their leader.

"Oh sweetie you can't even imagine."

"Then let the things turn a bit more interesting."

"As if you were reading my mind. Which I'll do as soon as you step out of that little bubble of yours. Sisters, will you join me?"

"Of course!" Shouted the other two devils.

Despite her friends' best efforts, Flare stepped out of the barrier and being hypnotized almost immediately. The three devils were staring at the harpy for a couple of minutes in complete silence. Then they came back, and broke down. They just laid on the ground, shuddering and sobbing. As Aku went and checked on Flare, she saw that the girl didn't manage to snap out of the spell.

Syrene lifted the barrier and brought the harpy back to her senses.

"Let me ask you a question. What did you show them?"

"Looking at their reaction, you don't want to know it."

"Just what in the Goddess' name is going on inside your mind? They got a panic attack and are in shock now." It was Aku this time to ask Flare, after examining the lesser devils.

"Let's just bring them back to HQ and lock them up. This way everything gets back to normal."

"We'll deal with them. You tell the troll that she shouldn't worry about them anymore."

"How did you know that?"

"You can't hide a body that big behind a scrawny tree, am I right?"

The troll in question stepped out of the shadows and joined the two M.O.N. teams. Team B took the devils with them and left the five of them in the park.

"With these idiots gone, you don't have to worry about anything for a while." Flare told the girl.

"Thank you so much! You know, there is a mixed species centre not far from here. They had problems with the devils as well, mostly minor sabotage and such. The staff will be relieved to hear that you put an end to this."

"No worries. We're here for this. We have to go now. Have a nice day."

The team continued the patrol, leaving the troll girl behind. There were two hours from the shift left. They went to see how the alley was doing damage-wise, went back to the HQ and finished just a bit earlier with giving the reports in.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Shadows and elders

It was a rainy day on Flare's day off. She thought of flying to Stonehenge to pray to the Goddess since she hasn't done it for quite a while. Instead, she went shopping by foot. It was quite the sight, seeing a harpy in a waterproof poncho going down the streets of London.

She didn't feel like going miles for the special, extra-species clothing shop so she only went to the mall near the HQ. As she was looking for a shop suitable for extra-species as well, she heard screams from the first floor along with growls.

The harpy threw down her poncho and bag, then flew up and landed on the railing. A bunch of people were rounded up in a corner by several, dog-like creatures. Red lines were glowing on their backs and snouts. The biggest one looked like it was made straight out of lava. Flare jumped down the railing, getting the attention of the dogs. Surprisingly, the biggest talked, albeit in a slightly broken tone.

"The last child. Found her. Get her."

The dogs approached and Flare, nowhere else to run, flew down to the ground floor. Without hesitation, the creatures followed suite, arriving just seconds later. It was time to fight after flight.

It was hopeless. Eight dogs versus one harpy. She managed to knock out two of them before they pinned her down and the leader knocked her out with a swing of its paw.

A hole opened in the air. As if a lighter burnt a hole in a paper. They dragged the harpy with them, to the other side of the darkness.

They arrived at a place, which could be described as the inside of a volcano. Heat, lava and orange colors dominated the cave. The dogs put Flare in the centre of the cave, just inches away from the pool of lava.

There were several other creatures on the platform across the lava. Giant, bird-like creatures in fiery colors. The largest of them leant across the pool and whispered to the harpy.

"Wake up, my child."

As if it was a spell, Flare's eyes opened up, revealing a huge beak inches away from her face. She backed away but bumped into the dog leader. She was cornered once again.

"Welcome home, my child."

"Just what and who are you?"

"I am an elder ancient phoenix, the Keeper of the Eternal Flames, Ignis. I am also your father, Flare Fenichs."

"Why should I believe you? How do you know my name?"

"Just look into my memories."

Ignis' beak touched the harpy's head and memories started flowing into her mind. Foreign memories about her mother and herself.

Then the penny dropped. She was the daughter of this being. Part phoenix, part harpy. As to how this was possible, hell knows. Then the questions came into her mind, one after the other.

"You have watched me till this point, haven't you?"

"Yes I did."

"You know what happened to mother?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you help? Why did she had to go like that?"

"It was her decision. She knew the consequences of raising you. She chose that destiny."

"Why?"

Flare broke down. Crying next to the pool of lava, her tears evaporated as they touched the ground. Minutes later, with red eyes, she stood up.

"So I have the power of a phoenix."

"Yes. Since you also possess the blood of a Keeper, you have other skills as well."

"Just what is a keeper anyway?"

"The Keepers are eight ancient beings responsible for the first elements."

"Eight? I only knew of four."

"Four are acknowledged by everyone but the Goddess created eight."

"What did you mean by other skills?"

"Skills such as travelling between the two worlds, adaptation to different elements for a short time and commanding the ancient spawns."

"Like these dogs?"

"Those are hellhounds but yes."

"How do I get my powers?"

"You already have them, you just need to awaken them."

"And how do I awaken them?"

"You must be reborn."

"Excuse me?"

"This pool of lava is blessed by the Goddess, if you submerge into it you will be reborn."

"What?!"

"Do not worry, it will not hurt nor kill you."

"If you say so, then I'll do it."

It happened just as the elder told her. It was like a hot bath. She was submerged only for seconds, yet it was enough for the rebirth. A huge bubble formed on the top of the lava and from it, Flare emerged. Her feathers were the color of the pool, her hair lit up in the shades of red and blue, her scales bright yellow and her claws white as snow. She was also slightly taller.

As she got back to where she was, the hellhounds bowed their heads in her direction.

"Welcome, Heiress of the Eternal Flames. We, the ancient hellhounds, recognize you as our Master."

"What the? I can understand them."

"Of course. As our rebirth is now complete, you can understand every child of the Mother." said Ignis.

"I see. Now then, when can I go home?"

"Not in the close future, I fear."

"How come?"

"You first have to become a Keeper first. This means training under my wings and eventually, getting acknowledged by the other elements' Keepers. Only after that comes the time you can go back to your world."

"When do we begin?"

"Tomorrow. For now, we go to the Village of Fire to officially introduce you to my followers."

"Village of Fire? Is that inhabited by humans?"

"Yes but these have special, fire related skills. Every element has a village with humans of skills related to their element."

"So the elements have their own territories?"

"Exactly. Shall we go now?"

"Yes."

They flew off from the chimney of the volcano. The area was stunning. The forest played in a red and orange color, the water resembled lemonade and the grass was also orange. The human settlement was shining in the same colors. The people crowded up as they saw the figure of Ignis. As they landed on a huge, empty space, the villagers bowed. The phoenix started speaking.

"Villagers! Welcome my daughter, the Heiress of Eternal Flames and the Keeper of the human world, Flare Fenichs. She shall have the same respect as I. For the rest of the day, she shall get acquainted with the settlement. Do what she asks, for she is my blood."

 **A/N: Late upload. Again. Life just won't stop for me to write so I have to take a break until mid-January. I will write a couple of chapters by then as well as preparing some new projects for their debut.**

 **If anyone decent in semi-game like isekai can help me that would be highly appreciated.**

 **Enjoy the chapter nevertheless!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Village problems

They brought her to the chief's house, and started asking her about what she wants. After strongly refusing everything, Flare turned to the chief.

"It seems you worry about something. Tell me and I might be able to help."

"Milady, I wouldn't ask something so trivial of the royal blooded."

"Back in my home world, I work as a peacekeeper for the public. There is no way I will just stand by. Now tell me what happened."

"You see, the dire wolves from the territory of the Keeper of Nature are coming here to feed on our cattle. They made the Bonfire Forest their own and attack from there.

"Where's their hiding place?"

"They'll know that you've entered the forest as soon as you lay a claw on its area."

"Put up a party of the strongest people. We're going to hunt wolves."

"Understood, milady."

The small party of six people and Flare followed the road leading into the forest. The harpy ordered the humans to stay behind a bit and stepped into the shades.

Shadows followed her all the way to a field where the pack resided. A black one standing in the middle started speaking.

"Who dares treading our territory?"

"Another canine with superiority sense. Great…"

"How dare you speak with me so lightly firefolk! I am…"

"Now's the point I had enough. Just burn to ashes okay?"

Flare raised her right wing. A fireball appeared and zoomed at the pack leader. As it hit him, the wolf incinerated and vanished within seconds. The rest of the pack looked at the harpy in fear.

"Damn this instinctual ability is neat. Alright guys, you have two options. Leave or die."

Nothing else was needed to say. The wolves ran as if their life depended on it. Actually, it did.

The villagers caught up with Flare, checked the area and went to her.

"Milady, are you not hurt?"

"Not a single scratch."

"Milady, someone's coming."

A figure stepped out of the shadows. It was a female, a bit shorter than Flare. Blue skin, green hair, brown eyes. Roots and leaves covered her intimate parts."

"Splendid job, fire keeper of the human world."

"Who are you?"

"My name is Salathea, I'm the ancient Keeper of the Wild."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. You're a nymph, I suppose."

"Correct. And you're quite the odd phoenix."

"My mother was a harpy."

"I see. Now to the part I came here originally. You have brought the harmony back, for which I'm grateful. I'll compensate for the village's loss in a small herd of Megaceros. I also have a gift for you, Keeper."

She went to Flare and gave her a seed.

"This is the Seed of Roots. If you eat this whole, you will gain the power of recovery. You may heal wounds, broken bones, fatigue but can't bring back the ones who passed away. This is the gift from the element of Nature. Cherish it, Keeper."

The nymph vanished the same way she got there. Seconds later, a small group of deer came out of the woods. They were the compensation.

"Oy, the deer in my world are half the size, are you sure these are the same? Salathea?"

"These are Megaceros, milady. These aren't supposed to be smaller."

"Good to know."

Flare was looking at the seed the nymph gave her and proceeded to swallow it in one go. It tasted bitter but felt a bit more powerful than she already was.

They headed back to the outside of the forest. The herd followed their every step and as they neared the village, met a messenger.

"Milady, the fire salamanders are going to attack our village!"

"They are our allies. Are you sure?" asked the chief.

"They say that the keeper we have sworn loyalty is a false one, thus she and her accomplices must be eliminated."

"How dare they! Milady, you must go back as fast as you can. We will take a detour."

Flare took off and flew right to the entrance. The salamanders were just a mile from the village border. She had to decide whether to kill to save or just to watch the devastation idly.

Deep in her, something started burning. Something that wanted her doing the right thing. As she looked at the lumbering lizards, it hit her. The colors of her feathers turned blue and she cast a wave of sapphire flames between the attacking forces and the village. As she landed in front of the salamanders, a rather scarred one stepped out of the crowd.

"Only a real keeper is capable to cast the True Fire of Samadhi. We are terribly sorry to cause such commotion, Keeper."

As fast as they appeared, the lizards vanished into the horizon. Flare was just as confused as the rest of the village. Her colors returned to red and she passed out.

She woke up just after dusk. The villagers threw a party for her and swore eternal loyalty to the Heir of Flames. She decided to sleep early and began her journey to the next territory, the element of metal.

 **A/N: WE went from mid-January to early February. Late as always. I seriously need to schedule my projects. Also, I'm uploading two pilots so keep an eye out. Those won't be uploaded regularly (not that this is) but are meant as experiments. Every review counts so feel free to criticize them.**

 **Also, a guest review mentioned some Avatar reference but sorry, this isn't one.**

 **If you have any questions just dm me.**

 **Hope you enjoyed this chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Steel divinity

Flare landed on the edge of the Forest of Blades. Just as the name indicated, several huge swords, knives and other metallic weapons rose from the ground. As she entered and went deeper, the sounds previously heard, something you'd find in a normal forest, ceased and only the wailing of the metal was audible.

She wandered in the strange forest for an entire day. Unsuccessful in finding her main objective, she slept in a crevice dug by unknown beings. Albeit it was silent, it was exactly this why she couldn't sleep for quite a while.

It was way before dawn when she woke up. Deciding that as she was already up, she might as well continue searching for the Keeper of Metal. The light started coming into the forest in orange colors and showed her a small path. Flare was following it until ending abruptly by one of the bigger blade trees. From afar, growling and bestial crying could be heard. Being curious, the harpy followed the sound.

Upon arriving at a clearing, she met an interesting sight.

A big, silver lion was scratching some sort of plant. To her, the plant was the off one by now. As she got slowly closer, the feline sensed her and turned on Flare. As a defense, she cast a flaming wall between the animal and her.

"I don't know if you understand me or not but I'm not an enemy. My name is Flare, and I'm the apprentice Keeper of Fire. I travel the territories to aid their people and meet the ancient Keepers. If you need help, I'll do what you want."

As if the lioness understood her, turned back to the plant and started knocking on it with her paws. Flare cleared the barrier and got closer. Then she noticed it. A cub was entrapped inside the roots of the plant. The girl clawed at the plant but was surprised to see that not even a single scratch was visible on it.

"It's time to turn blue. You stand back a bit."

The feline looked worried as the harpy turned blue and emitted just a bit more flames.

"Don't worry. Your cub won't be hurt."

She took off and grabbed a root with her claws. Fire erupted from the talons and burnt through the plant like it was nothing. This repeated until there was enough space for the mother to squeeze her head through. The lioness got hold of the cub and went away of the plant, which Flare burned down and turned back to her regular, red color.

"This didn't belong here anyways."

As she turned to the lions, she noticed that the mother wasn't there anymore. Instead a man sat there with the cub on his lap.

"Hello there!"

"General Kenobi… Anyways, who are you, and where is the mother of the cub?"

"There was no mother, I shapeshifted into one. You see, this cub lost his family not too long ago. I'm taking care of him. My name is Hespeos; I'm the ancient Keeper of Metal. It's nice to meet you, Flare Fenichs, Keeper of Fire in the other world."

"As expected from the Ancient Keeper. But why did you do this little shenanigan?"

"It's obvious, isn't it? This was my test to you. You're a Keeper, you need to help those in danger. And so you did. Thus, you are worthy of my reward."

"Was it really this easy? I just can't accept this."

"I know your next host and task, and let me tell you, creating an easier job is the least I can do."

"Does that mean that I should be afraid of the next Keeper?"

"Not really, he's quite the nice fella if you get to know him better. Now come, I'll invite you to lunch."

The earth shook and a mansion made of various metals rose from the ground. It sparkled in the sunshine and as Flare stepped into the building, she met pure luxury. The place was something you could describe as a modernized medieval house. Everything that wasn't metal was either glass or food. A modern looking oven, a chandelier with lightbulbs, hell, there even was a television in the living room made solely of glass.

Hespeos went into the American style kitchen and looked at the harpy.

"What will you have?"

"I'm fine with everything."

"Then we'll have my favorite. Please, enjoy yourself, this will take around an hour."

"Sure."

The hour went by quite fast, as Flare, after finding every nook and cranny in the house watched the Keeper cook. He gestured towards the table, to which she sat.

"Errm… Meatloaf with tomato sauce? And salad?"

"Almost, this is a type of that food from the nation you were born in."

"Wait, this is Greek food?"

"Keftethes with sauce and feta salad. The absolute best food in both worlds. This reminds me of my younger years, when I was considered as a deity to the old worlds' people."

"Greek deity? Old world? Hephaestus?"

"Correct. You seem to be quite the intelligent girl."

"And this is delicious. May I know who my next host will be?"

"You didn't even get your reward… I'll tell it after that. Now eat up."

A nice lunch and some rest later, the two exited the house and were greeted with a plethora of indigenous animals, which was obvious thanks to their metallic color.

Hespeos turned to the harpy and motioned towards the animals.

"Just as you command the hellhounds, I give you the right to summon one of my subordinates. Be advised, though, you can only choose one, and it's irrevocable."

Flare looked around, stared at the ground for a while, then turned to the Keeper.

"Say, Hephaestus, do you, by any chance have the Colchis Bulls in your possession?"

"Going for my most prized beasts, eh? Look who's brave here! That old geezer Aeetes is dead for a couple of centuries now and I don't think he needs them in Elysium. It'll take some time to fetch them from Hades' stall, but he'll give them back for sure. They are going to stand ready when you return to your own world."

"No problem. Sorry guys, not today!" She said while turning towards the other animals.

As if they were understanding her, the mass dispersed and minutes later, only the cub remained on the porch area.

"Now to answer the question you've been bugging me with. Your next destination will be the territory in which the Keeper of Darkness resides. It's west from here. You'll know when you're there when you see the pine forest, then everything goes black. Only your fire can help you with not hitting anything. As soon as you find a clearing, stay there. It will be easier for him to find you than the other way around. Have a safe journey, Keeper."

"Was nice to meet you. Thank you for everything!"

With this, she took off to her next goal, the territory of Darkness.

 **A/N: It's good to be back. Sorry for the huge pause, I had some personal troubles to deal with.**

 **But now I'm back and going full steam ahead. (Hopefully.) I want to get back to my schedule and I have so many new ideas, it'll be a pain to assess them into whole projects. Nevertheless, I'm hyped for what's coming and I'll take my writing as a priority matter.**

 **I hope you'll enjoy this chapter!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Black and white make gray

Just as Hespeos told her, the area above the forest suddenly became pitch black. She landed, barely avoiding the tree line. Not much later she found a clearing, and sat down to wait for the Keeper.

Hours have passed and she became hungry. The Metal Keeper gave her the leftovers, which she halved and ate one of the portions. She didn't know whether it was already nighttime or not, but decided to rest until someone came around.

She woke up to screaming. She could see the trees, albeit in a gray color. Flare looked around, everything was gray. The sky, the vegetation, the river not far from her. There was some color, however. There was something red on the ground. As she touched it, memories hit her.

She began to run along the path, and after a while, Flare reached a clearing. She saw a harpy on the other end, bleeding severely. That red color was the only bright color in the area amidst the gray landscape. Well, almost. There was something white behind a tree. And that speck of white was moving. She heard a voice from the wounded harpy, but it wasn't her.

"I know you're here, you little chick. Come out, or I might hurt your mommy a bit more."

"Flare, don't!" It was the turn of the mother to speak.

She didn't know what to do, just watched from the shadows, as the events unfolded. She saw a small, white blur from one of the trees. As she went over there, the voice kept talking about mutilating the wounded harpy. Flare was disgusted, but also deeply struck. She knew what will happen, alas, she can't escape her own past. The harpy arrived at the white blur. It was a small harpy, maybe around 7 years of age. She saw the origin of the malicious voice. Now, she saw it clearly. The attacker was herself, around the age she is now. But that Flare's eyes were black. She was in her own past, but somehow, it didn't make sense. It was a bear that killed her mother, not that clone of her older self. Small Flare then erupted in a flaming tornado, and everything went black. Now it was only her, in total darkness.

"You are weak!"

"Who is there?"

"You're a freak!"

"Show yourself!"

"Oh, sweetie, you already know me. I'm you, I am visible for you every time you look into a mirror."

"Why aren't you with me, then?"

"No one wants to be on your side, not even yourself. You are a monster among monsters, the bastard offspring of a legendary bloodline. Nature's failure."

"Do you really think I wanted it this way? To be ridiculed, to be cast out from my own flock? To lose everyone and everything I love? Quit joking. You know you can't get me with this general bs."

"Your will is a tough one. I'll give you that. Let's see if you can hold on to your dignity even after seeing all your wrongdoings."

Memories hit her like a freight train. Be it minor or significant, every little mishap and failure she did appeared in front of her. She fell to her knees and teared up. Even after the memories faded, she just sat there, silently weeping away. She didn't know how much time went by, not that she cared about it. The bubble was popped. The mental barrier she set up to cope with the tragedy of losing her mother came crashing down. It was her fault, everything that happened to her. She just projected it on others to comfort herself. She was technically hallucinating everyday by this point. She saw everything, yet nothing, she saw what she wanted, she put on a mental filter of sorts.

"How is that you're the one broken and I'm the one weakening? I feed on your negativity, I should be utterly powerful right now!" The voice was shrieking by this point.

"Thank you." Flare's faint voice echoed in the darkness.

"What did you just say?"

"Thank you for bringing me back into the true reality." She lifted her head, and smiled. Her smile was that of an angel, a face with pure peace. A face that can warm even the coldest of hearts on the coldest of days.

The voice, along with the darkness dissipated, and she was back in the forest, only this time, it was brighter a bit. A man leaned on a tree not too far. He wore a black suit with a black bowtie and a white hat. He smiled from ear to ear.

"Congratulations for reaching the highest level of peace, Ms. Fenichs. I'm Raymond, the Ancient Keeper of Darkness, pleasure to meet you."

She just looked at him, her eyes red, kneeling in the grass. After a couple of seconds of staring, she got up.

"You did this?"

"I only started it. Whatever you saw and did was none of my doing. I help people to meet with their true darkness, not just the shadows of their sins. And if they embrace their darkness, my spell is over, and their soul is at peace. Your case, however, was not quite the same. You needed a bit stronger nudge to fall. Now here you are, with a balanced soul. How do you feel?"

"Relaxed, I guess? I can't quite point it out, I felt nothing like this before."

"That feeling is called tranquility. A stronger version of serenity, if you will."

"For how long was I in there?"

"Thirteen days. Your bodily needs will return in about five hours. Before that, I suggest you return to the fire village. Things are getting messy over there. The Ancient Keeper of Light has sent a quest for you there."

Flare, being confused as is, nodded and took off.

As she landed on the podium of the village, she found the place to be empty. The usually bustling street was abandoned, and the doors to the homes were all shut, despite her never seeing tem closed. The pasture was empty as well, it was a strange sight, as the herd was always out, even during the dire wolf attacks.

She knocked on one of the doors, and a pair of terrified eyes looked back at her from the hole on the door.

"What is going on here?"

The person on the other end opened the door slightly, and uttered a question with a faint voice.

"Mistress, is that you?"

"Who else?"

"Your ghost."

"I'm not dead, as far as I know."

The villager opened the door fully. His face was pale, even compared to his dark skin tone.

"For about a week or so, a creature similar to you is haunting our village. She claims to be your restless ghost."

"And when does she usually come?"

"Right at noon, Mistress."

"The quest is my ghost, eh? At least the Keeper should've made things less obvious."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing, go around and tell everyone, that in order to vanquish my ghost, they need to gather around the podium by noon. I'll take care of the rest."

"Yes, mistress. But I fear for my safety, the creature terrorizes us when she sees fit."

"Hellhounds!"

A gate opened behind her, and the pack, that brought her in this realm appeared.

"You called for us, Mistress?"

"Yes, please guard the villagers while they gather around the podium. I have to go, but will return by noon."

"As you wish, Mistress."

She took off and went to the Temple of Light, as she had around two hours till noon. The Keeper, a pure white angel was already waiting for her.

"Good morning, Keeper of the Human world. Breakfast will be served soon. Please, come in."

"Thanks for having me."

"No problem. My name is Aurea, your current quest's hostess."

"You do know that your quest is quite pointless now, right?" Said Flare as she was sitting down before a bunch of goodies.

"If only I'd have known you'll go to the Dark Forest first, I would've changed my tactics. But alas, here we are. My brother and me have the same way of thinking, as you discovered it yourself. I will talk about your 'ghost' after we finished breakfast. Now dig in."

Around 40 minutes later…

The Keeper could only blink in awe as the harpy vanished around 3 days' worth of food.

"For how long were you in the Sphere?"

"Raymond said that it's been around two weeks."

"And here I was thinking you were stuck with Hephaestus' cooking."

"He cooks great for sure, but I have things to tend to. You know, like getting back to Earth."

"Indeed. By the way, your next stop will be in the Everlake."

"Let me guess, the Keeper of Water?"

"Correct, albeit she's the type of person with extreme mood swings, so watch out."

"Will do. About my prize…"

"The ghost is your prize. Her name is Mirage, she looks exactly like you, but has light powers. She'll be at your disposal whenever you need her and it isn't nighttime. Also, she won't give in easily."

"Thank you very much. It's almost noon, I better get going. Sorry for the quick getaway."

"We'll talk later. Take care!"

"Same to you!"

Only minutes were left till noon when she arrived. The hounds were guarding the villagers in a sickle formation, and the leader sat in the center.

"Mistress." Nodded the hound towards the harpy. "It's almost noon."

"Indeed. Our guest deserves the greatest of welcomes, doesn't she?" Flare had a sly smile on her face.

"As you wish."

A shadow emerged from the Sun, and as it flew lower, the shadow transformed into a harpy eerily similar to Flare. She landed on the podium and looked at the Keeper-to-be rather confused.

"Hello, Mirage."

"You aren't supposed to be here."

"I know. Since your mistress and her brother didn't quite manage to talk over things, your quest is now useless to me."

"What?"

"Raymond gave me the same task you were assigned to do when meeting me. Do you want a little quarrel before we finish this?"

"Sure do. I ought to try out this form during a battle."

"Might need it later, eh? The task is simple. Whoever falls down the podium first, loses. Stairs count as down too. Agreed?"

"Yep."

As soon as the leader got down from the pedestal, two pillars emerged. One flaming blue, the other pure white, albeit thy were about the same diameter, Flare's was at least twice as high as Mirage's.

The two clashed as soon as the pillars dissipated and the temporary arena became the home of an angry, feathery cloud, shrieking and dancing on the wooden floor.

Around a quarter of an hour later the shrieks died out, the cloud settled, and the villagers saw Flare holding Mirage's face between her talons.

"You're good, kid, but as long as I'm around, you're only second best."

With this, she threw the other down the podium.

 **A/N: Another one down. Didn't think it'd take this long to do it.**

 **Hope you like it!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Cleanup

"Morning sunshine!"

"Wh-what?"

Mirage woke up on the podium. She looked around and saw that she was surrounded, with Flare right above her head.

"You lost. Now, you're mine."

"You aren't injured?"

"I was. Phoenixes have something called regeneration you know."

"I understand." The copy stood up, then knelt down in front of the harpy. "I'm at your service, Mistress."

Flare sent the dire wolves and Mirage through the gate, explained what just happened to the villagers, then went on her way. The goal was the Everlake, which was all source of water.

She arrived there in around an hour, as it was opposite of the Fire realm. The Ancient Keeper was waiting on a giant turtle, and as she landed, the creature started moving.

"Welcome, Fenichs. My name is Aestus. The fellow who's back you're travelling on in Archy, an Archelon."

"Nice to meet you. What will my task be?"

"First, we need to arrive there. It'll only take a couple of minutes."

Archy shifted gears and Flare fell over, almost down from the sudden change in speed. Around five minutes later, they arrived to a waterfall. It was surprisingly quiet considering its size.

"I don't like this, why is it so quiet?"

"Take off and have a look around."

A short circle later the harpy came back way paler than expected.

"There… There's nothing."

"This is the Fall to Nowhere, the edge of this world, well, sort of."

"And why do I have to be here?"

"This is a part of your quest. We'll drop you into the water by the edge, and all you have to do is to not fall off for 5 minutes. Then we scoop you out and talk about the rest. understandable?"

"And if I fail, I die."

"Most definitely."

"Great… The faster we're done with this, the better."

"As you wish."

Archy got to the edge and balanced there quite easily. Aestus took a sun clock out of her robe, adjusted it towards the Sun and put it down on the turtle's shell.

"Whenever you're ready."

And thus, Flare jumped.

The water was cold, so chilling, that it went straight to her bones, and she was shaking just seconds in. The drag was as horrendous as the cold, going down almost immediately after jumping in. She kept herself on the top, somehow. She was basically on the brink of hypothermia and fatigue by the third minute. Her legs were unresponsive and the feathers on her wings got soaked, making the already hard paddling a torture. Just as she was slipping out of consciousness, the round was over, and Archy caught the helpless body on the way of falling down.

Her color came back after several minutes and it took almost an hour to return to her senses. Flare awoke dizzy and confused as to where she was, but after a short explanation, she merely hugged her own legs with a disconnected stare.

"So I almost died."

"Well yes, but actually no. You'd have fallen down into the void and would've most likely died of asphyxiation."

"Not that it's THAT much better of an end."

"Compared to drowning, it's a bit worse."

"At least tell me the gift's worth it…"

"What I give you is worth the trouble. I originally thought for your feathers to be impermeable by will, but considering your *cough* experience, I will give you the power to see multiple consequences in cases with difficult decisions. It is a sort of foresight, but Dr. Strange style."

"You only intended to waterproof me? That's nice."

Flare flew off without saying anything.

She arrived in the Territory of the Air rather easily, as it consisted of a handful of floating islands, and of course, the sky. On several of those masses, strange creatures nested. They looked as though they were harpies, albeit bigger and more beast-like than her. On the largest islands was the Ancient Keeper, who sat on a small whirlwind. She was transparent, if Flare hadn't seen her kind, she would've thought the Keeper was a ghost. In fact, the master of this area was a Sylph, the incarnation of air itself.

The harpy landed before her and greeted her shortly. The Ancient Keeper introduced herself as Floccus with a raised eyebrow.

"You seem annoyed. What's the matter?"

"The Ancient Keeper of Water wasn't too… generous, when it came to the survival of a near death experience."

"That water hag hasn't experienced a singular death in over a millennium. It isn't surprising, that she wasn't intending to give you something of equal value."

"I see. Could we move on? I only have two elements left, including this. I really want to go back to my world."

"Understandable. Your task is quite simple. Have you seen the cartwheel dance eagles perform in your world?"

"Yes, why?"

"You will do the same, but with a flock leader of your choosing."

"If you show me how it's done and tell me my reward, sure. I've never done it myself."

"Alright. Hypna, Moria!"

As Floccus yelled out the words, two huge creatures landed behind Flare, overshadowing her.

The harpy spun around, and immediately jumped back. There were those beasts seen earlier, now closer. Looking like a hybrid between a harpy and a bear, these birds stood almost 2,5 metres tall, with their wing knuckles on the ground. Just how big were these? And it also looks like they still have their beaks, have more feathers and have no human features at all.

"What the… Are these harpies?"

"Ancient harpies, to be precise. Your kind looked like this before the males went extinct due to biological issues and they had to seduce other beings, eventually humans."

"Thanks, I really didn't want to hear the last part."

"The more you know." The wind spirit said with a smile. "Oh, and they'll also show you your result."

Without another word said, the two giants took off and slowly ascended. Flare following Floccus' advice moved towards the edge of the island and thus, the show began. Both harpies started to fall, and as they reached their maximum speed, they linked their claws, opened their wings slightly and began their 'dance'. The speed in which they spun was ridiculously fast, in the young harpy's eyes the two seemed to blur together. Just as they would've reached the actual ground, they separated and came back with an immense speed, being so fast, that they created a shockwave after them, then proceeded to land on each side of the sylph.

"This was quite the show…"

"Correct, a nice presentation of what's to come. And that will be your reward, high speed, 1.2 machs, to be precise. Are you ready?"

"I honestly hope so, my dear lass."

"Then I shall call the flock leaders."

No sound was heard once again, yet less than a minute later half a dozen of ancient harpies landed on the island, in front of Flare. She looked at them, and chose a shorter but sturdier bird with several scars, yellow and black feathers, and an eerily calm look in her eyes.

"Are you sure? She's one of the most experienced ones."

"Bring it on!"

"So shall it be."

The contenders flew off, and followed the steps of the last two, albeit Flare having some difficulty in grabbing. They looked as if they were having a staring competition while spinning, with the ground getting closer and closer. A couple of hundreds of metres were left and the other harpy looked over her shoulder more and more, while Flare just had a smug grin on her face. As they were a couple seconds from impacting into the earth, the veteran let go and took off, while the phoenix turned in the other direction and casually glided mere inches off the surface.

Arriving back at the main island, she saw her opponent completely disheveled, while Floccus had a face full of shock and surprise.

"Was that supposed to be a suicide mission or something?"

"It was a feat of bravery, and it seems like I had the bigger guts."

"I…see… So you won. Step closer to receive your reward."

Flare did so and found herself in the middle of a tornado. She felt lighter and her wings more powerful. The process was over in a matter of seconds. Just as she was about to bid farewell to her host, she heard several *thumps* behind her. There were 5 smaller harpies, with beaks on the ground.

"Floccus, what is this?"

"They are youngsters who hadn't yet chosen into a flock. They beg you to be their leader, literally. This behavior means complete subjugation in their body language."

"I'm not from this world so if they want to serve me, they better be ready for a multitude of dimensional travels."

"They accept your requirements."

"Then I'd be honored."

The five younglings squawked in joy and went closer to touch her nose. As the sylph told her, this was their sign of showing solidarity. Then they flew back to their nests and Flare could finally say her goodbyes.

The Territory of Earth was just below that of the Air, so it was quite easily to find the Ancient Keeper. He was a dwarf around half the size of the harpy, had leather and fur clothes with short red hair and a long red beard in a double braid.

"Greetings, young Keeper, my name is Ivalde, I'm the Ancient Keeper of Earth. May I ask your name?"

"Flare Fenichs, at your service. Say, aren't you the father of the dwarves who made Gungnir?"

"Oho, so you know Norse mythology?"

"A small bit. I read stories when I was bored."

"That's nice to hear. Tell me maiden, would you like to have talons made of that very same metal the spear is from?"

"That would make them almost indestructible!"

"Exactly. And the only thing you have to do is to spend an hour wandering the mining shafts with me."

"Down there? Underground? If you say so…" Flare said with an uneasy look.

"If you don't want to, you obviously don't have to, but then you fail your quest, and if I'm well informed, this'll be your last task."

"Bullseye." Flare grit her teeth. "I'm in."

The dwarf grinned as if he just found a rich vein of gold.

"Then follow me, miss."

They ventured into the cave with nothing but a torch and the natural glow of Flare's fiery feathers. They went deeper and deeper, and albeit the dwarf talked with ease and the air wasn't cold, the opposite, even, the harpy was shaking.

"You okay back there?"

"I'm scared but got to push through for those talons."

"That's the spirit! We'll shortly arrive in the most interesting part of the system. so brace yourself."

An opening was shining in the distance and as they got there, a huge cave opened up. This was basically a stone bridge with lava below it. What really caught the eye was the things on the walls and ceilings. Gems and crystals wherever Flare looked. And thanks to the illumination of the lava, it was as though thousands of captured rainbows filled the room.

As the harpy looked upwards, she didn't see the hole in the bridge, lost her balance, and fell off, before Ivalde could react. The girl plummeted into the molten rock, which slowly began to suck her in. She used her powers to burst out of her temporary prison and landed back on the bridge, right next to the dwarf.

"I suggest that you watch where you're going. If you weren't a phoenix, you would've died slowly and painfully down there. Besides, you scared the spirits out of me, miss."

"Sorry about that, but these just mesmerized me."

"Can't argue with that. Shall we go on? There's only 20 minutes left and then we can go back to the surface."

Flare nodded and they left the cave, going back into the mineshafts. This time, albeit still shaking, the harpy was able to concentrate more on the speech Ivalde was giving. It was about the first contact between the Aesir and the dwarves. It was quite interesting to hear it from someone who had been around at the time.

Upon reaching the exit, Flare took off and flew a couple of rounds over the dwarf. After landing with a smile, she turned to him.

"This was a great tour, but I'll never again go underground."

"You flyers and your fears." Ivalde said while laughing. "Still, you managed to go all the way, which I respect and so I'll honor our agreement. Stay still for a bit."

The earth rose around her feet, as if it was swallowing her. She felt tingling coming from her buried talons, and after a few moments, the earth went back to normal. Her talons, not quite. They were a shiny metallic color, a bit straighter and looked a lot sharper.

"They are as sharp as you want them, just think about it."

"Thank you very much for this."

"Take care on the other side, will you?"

"Most definitely."

Her duties were over with this last part, and Flare took off towards where she came from, the volcano of Ignis.

 **A/N: So, this little adventure seems to end for our heroine. To be honest, I intended it to be much shorter, but here we are.**

 **I hope you enjoyed.**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Homecoming

When Flare returned to the volcano, everyone was already waiting for her, with Ignis being on his usual outcrop.

"So you were successful."

"Hello to you too, dear father."

"Congratulations, you are hereby an official Keeper of Fire. As promised earlier, you may return to your world and your comrades, but I warn you, they are currently fighting"

"Against who?"

"A group made out of a giant, a raptor, a blackbeard and an elder devil. Be prepared, for they'll lose if they don't act quickly."

"Gotcha. Then, if you'd be so kind as to open an aerial gate home."

"You already made a plan, haven't you?"

"Not really, but I have an idea."

"As you wish. Farewell, and the best of luck."

"You sure are cold for a phoenix aren't you?"

The Ancient one didn't say a thing, just opened the gate.

"The other side of this is around a mile into the air, so I suggest you fly in."

As soon as she was in the sky, not in the volcano, Flare let out a relieved sigh.

"Ah, good ole London, I missed your *cough* exhaust fumes…"

After taking a look on the streets below, she saw that Ignis said the truth. And the MON was cornered, even with Task Force B could do anything. Flare needed to hatch a plan, quickly.

"Mirage."

Her clone appeared besides her just moments later.

"Mistress?"

"Can you do a flashbang?"

"Pardon?"

"A sudden, very bright flash of light."

"Of course."

"Good. You see that blackbeard not far from the giant? She's your target. Get out of there as soon as you blinded her."

"Understood."

Mirage dove and Flare waited for the aftermath. Just as she thought, the sudden light was too much for the monoeye, and fainted. She started looking for her next target, whom the harpy found hovering above one of the rooftops. The raptor looked distressed, and that's what Flare wanted.

"Heed my voice, my flock, and bear your claws on that raptor!"

A hole opened not far from the enemy harpy, and the five younglings flew out of it, screeching. The target took off at an incredible speed, alas, she was no match from the ancient harpies of the Wind. She was quickly brought to the ground and before the flock had any time to seriously injure her, Flare ordered them to stop, and just pin the harpy down, all the while they let out victorious squawks.

The phoenix herself then went into position, just far enough that nobody could notice her. She summoned the bulls, the Metal Keeper gave her, and had them ram into the giant's feet. He let out a roar of pain and temporarily lost his balance, which was good enough for Flare to shoot herself talons first into the beast's chests, making him topple over.

In the meantime, the MON members made themselves useful and cuffed the blackbeard, while Alicia glued the giant to the ground with a lot of thread, while Selena iced him up. Unfortunately, the brain behind all this, the elder devil managed to create some sort of force field which was impossible to penetrate. As the group was discussing the way of breaking it, the group of servants gathered behind them. Mirage spoke up, as she was the sole member that the Earthlings could understand.

"The mistress will arrive shortly, and I'm certain that she can deal with the fiend."

"You mean that you're not Flare?" asked Ceris.

"Exactly. My name is Mirage, I'm a light spirit shaped as the mistress, to serve the mistress."

"Why are you calling her mistress, then?" it was the arachne this time.

"We all gathered here are subservient to the Heiress, of the True Flame, the Keeper of Fire on Earth, Flare Fenichs."

Alicia let out a giggle.

"You mean our Flare? Aren't you mistaken?"

"No she isn't. You'll soon see everything."

"Andrea?"

Just as the arachne turned around, there was the noise of feathers behind her, as well as the sizzling of fire.

"My dear Alicia, if you wouldn't be so quick with your cynicism, you'd get answers much faster."

The harpy was standing there in her full glory, smiling.

"You were deemed worthy by your peers, congratulations!"

"My biggest joy is to be back here, Mrs. Colt. You can't even imagine what I went through."

"I'm certain you'll tell us later. So, do you have a solution?"

"Of course I do. Do you want me to initiate the most effective and the fastest, or the slow and safe?"

"Excuse us, but what is going on, why is Flare suddenly in flames?"

"You'll know everything after this whole ordeal has ended. Please go with the fastest one, Flare."

"As you wish. Hellhounds, be ready!"

Just as the fiery dogs arrived through the portal, she took off. Flare started circling above the encased elder devil. The fire from her wings rained down, and as she was circling a fire whirl formed around the enemy. It was getting bigger by the second plus picked up speed as soon as it reached down. The hellhounds stepped through the wall of fire, and waited for their moment. The heat increased gradually, which seemed to take a toll on the devil. She sweated, became red and eventually, fell to her knees. Yet the barrier was intact, albeit a tad bit paler. This let Flare know that she should take things up a notch. As soon as the fire turned blue, even the hounds started to pant, this was too hot even for them. Half a minute hadn't even gone by, when the barrier broke and the devil collapsed. The hellhounds pinned her down and Flare dissipated the fiery tornado.

The hounds and the devil were in the centre of an enormous, molten circle, which indicated the heat that the whirl made. Flare landed beside them and as soon as the others arrived at the scene, she told the pack to move away from the unconscious felon. The MON then promptly arrested her after the ambulance checked on her well-being.

"That was awesome!" Selena yelled, while throwing her hands in the air.

"Indeed. I've never seen such a huge wall of fire. But tell me, what was the blue one?" Alice asked the harpy.

"The true fire of Samadhi, also called the fire of will. The stronger your will is, the hotter and brighter the flames are. And only the one who lit it can extinguish it."

"Highly interesting. So, how about you tell us everything, who you are, what happened after your disappearance and such. You really are an intriguing harpy."

 **A/N: Here we go again. Gotta pick up the pace, so that I can work with my other projects, too.**

 **Hope you enjoyed it!**


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